


Citizen Soldier

by DarthLivion (DistantShenanigans)



Series: Jedi!Rex AU [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Background Relationships, Brother Feels, Father Figures, Gen, Jedi Training, Jedi clones, Master & Padawan Relationship(s), Minor Character Death, Mother Figures, Other, Queer platonic relationships, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, maybe major character death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-30
Updated: 2016-06-02
Packaged: 2018-07-11 02:20:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7022653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DistantShenanigans/pseuds/DarthLivion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What Rex had thought to be gut instincts turned out to be a little more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beyond the Boundaries of Your City's Lights,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on JasJuliet's art of Jedi!Rex on tumblr: http://jasminejbatista.tumblr.com/post/99789968531/my-half-of-a-jedi-captain-rex-art-trade-with
> 
> Oops. (B  
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.
> 
>  **The sex isn't until later** and you'll be able to skip over it. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Rex hadn't known that his instinct of avoiding major danger was anything other than, well, _his gut instinct_. How was he supposed to know anything different? He was raised a soldier, that his gut instinct would keep him alive. Regardless, the fact remained that he was, according to General Plo at least, force sensitive. It had hurt, to be taken away from his squad, his men – his _brothers_.

Kriff, this was nerve wracking.

“Received Captain Rex's blood work, have we?” General Yoda questioned one of the council members, as Rex was asked to stand before the council.

“We have.” General Mundi replied, “His midichlorian count is just shy of thirteen thousand.”

“Interesting...” General Kenobi said, frowning. “Anakin, are you sure you've never noticed that he could have been sensitive to the force?” General Skywalker shook his head.

“No. The men have been trained so well, any Force-enhanced abilities I'd be able to see on the battlefield is too close to the rest of the men. The only anomaly would have been his ability to avoid danger, but I thought that was just really good instincts. Several of the men act that way.” Eyes narrowed at that, and General Yoda looked towards General Plo.

“Requested to test Commander Wolffe's blood, you did. Sensitive to the Force, you believe he is, do you not?” General Plo nodded.

“I believe so. Boost as well. Dogma, from the 501st, also shows potential to be sensitive.”

“Dogma?” General Skywalker looked shocked at that, more so than when General Plo had convinced him Rex was sensitive to the force. “Fresh off Kamino Dogma?”

“Indeed.” General Plo replied.

“Test them, we shall. Until then, train Captain Rex, should we?” Master Yoda questioned. A lot of debate began immediately, the most loud being General Skywalker with the defense of 'I _need_ my captain!'. The arguing went on for a good five minutes before an old master walked in, hunched over and using a cane. Rex couldn't quite place the species, but in all honesty, they looked kind of like an old goat-human hybrid.

“Master Sinube.” General Windu spoke, “Perhaps you could settle this debate for us.”

“Of course.” The old Jedi said, “What is the topic of debate?”

“Whether one of us should train this clone in the ways of the Force.” Rex knew the general didn't mean it that way, but it still hurt. Thankfully, he had the military training to at least look like General Windu's words didn't affect him.

“Of course... Of course...” Master Sinube smiled, “I shall train him, if the council allows.” That shocked the council, and more debate arose from several of the younger council members.

“ENOUGH!” A general that Rex didn't know cried out. He was a Zabrak, that was all Rex could tell from the looks of him. “Master Yoda?” They turned to the wrinkly green raisin (Cody's words! Not his!) and they all witnessed the nod.

“Permission to train Captain Rex, I grant.” Then, the old goat – _General Sinube_ , he reminds himself – turned to Rex and smiled.

“Well, Captain Rex, would you honor me by becoming my padawan?” Rex doesn't know why he thought this was a good idea, why he felt the _need_ to do this, but something in him told him to do it and his gut never led him astray before.

“Yes.” He replied, “Thank you, sir.” The old Jedi smiled, and soon, Rex found himself following the old goat out of the council chambers. He did his best to ignore General Skywalker's eyes watching him.

General Sinube led him through the halls of the vast temple, and Rex couldn't stop himself from looking around. The place was large and Rex was sure he was going to get lost. Despite having good navigation, the stone walls and floor, the large pillars and the occasional vine crawling along them was naturally distracting to Rex. He had always been mesmerized with the way the earth and plant life moved, seeming to hum--

Oh.

Well, at least that made sense now.

“I see you've realized that the sensations you feel from the earth are a bit more than just your imagination.” General Sinube chuckled as they reached a door, near the gardens. Rex hesitated, but nodded.

“Yes'sir.”

“Tell me what it is.” The general said, opening the door and entering. He motioned for Rex to follow him, and so Rex did.

“It's the force, isn't it?” The captain asked.

“Indeed it is. Tell me, padawan, how long have you felt the life of the earth?” General Sinube asked as Rex looked around the room.

The kitchen was off to the right, with the sitting area in front of them as they enter. There were two doors down a small hallway to the left, and there were datapads and strange cubed artifacts scattered amongst the room.

“Ever since I was little.” He admitted, watching as the general sat down and motioned for him to sit as well. He sat down. “Back on Kamino, I'd stare out the windows at the oceans.” His squad always did get annoyed at him for that, telling him to stop daydreaming and get his ass in gear before he was, gods forbid, _dar'tome_ – separated. Nothing was worse to a clone than being separated from his brothers.

“And the Kaminoans said nothing, did they?” The general seemed disappointed at that, but Rex only nodded.

“I was approached once, by Jango Fett, though.” It was something he never liked thinking about. Jango had disappeared off the face of the galaxy, along with little Boba, and it had left an ache in a lot of the older clones' hearts. Jango had done his best to go to _each_ and _every_ one of them, and talk to them. To encourage them. Jango knew all of their numbers by heart.

“What did he say to you?” To ignore his brothers. To focus less on regulations, and more on the people. That...

“That we're more than just clones.” He replied. General Sinube nodded.

“Indeed you are. Nobody is the same, not even those who are made to look like it.” The old goat stood up and smiled. “Think on this tonight. Tomorrow, we shall get you padawan beads, until your hair grows enough for a braid.” Rex blinked, before he was left alone in the main room. He looked outside the window, finding that the sun had set while they had been speaking. It had only felt like a few moments, surely they hadn't been speaking that long?

Shaking his head, Rex stood up and headed for the second door in the small hallway. He opened it, finding a bed that was meant for a teenager reaching young adult status.

He was going to sleep in a _bed_. Now that, that was an insane concept. For all of his life, he had only ever slept on a standard military-grade bunk. If not, it was a standard issued sleeper bag, or just the cold hard ground. Once, it was even in a barn while injured. He shook his head again, clearing his thoughts and slipping his boots off. He set his helmet, something he forgot was resting in his lap all these hours, onto the side table by the bed, and then began to remove his armor.

It took him three hours before he finally fell asleep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Fic and Chapter Titles from Citizen/Soldier by 3 Doors Down
> 
> This is **unbeta'd**. If you'd like to help me correct any mistakes, please do so kindly.


	2. Stand the Heroes Waiting for Your Cries.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rex learns how to let go of his anger, and the fear he didn't know he had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm writing and posting this before I go to work, so there's probably mistakes. I have no beta, so, yeah. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

After the best night of sleep Rex has ever had, the next morning was filled with tea – blegh! – and toast and eggs, since it was all Rex knew how to make without burning. He didn't dwell on the knowledge that his brothers were sleeping on hard bunks or the ground of distant planets. It wouldn't help anyone if he did.

General Sinube was gone already, needed for something that Rex couldn't know about, for the moment at least. He was also encouraged to explore the temple, to maybe try meditating. Apparently the old goat had left instructions on how to do that, once Rex flipped the piece of paper over.

He decided to explore the rooms and then the temple, preferring to know his surroundings instead of sitting without much information. He left the rooms and picked a direction, heading to the right. Making sure he wasn't going to get lost, he memorized land marks like he had always been trained to do on Kamino.

He ended up in the gardens, which he learned, as he kept walking, were _huge_. As he kept walking, he felt his annoyance grow. The flowers and trees were still humming, though it was duller than it had been an hour ago. He let out a shout when something large dropped on him, breaking on impact and soaking him. He turned, but only found he was alone. He let out a sound that, if his brothers were around, would mean he was trying not to get too angry. He had to remind himself that it wasn't a brother who decided to play a prank; they weren't even _here_.

Deciding to go change, he turned to head back. There wasn't much else to do; walking around wet in his blacks were just going to make him chafe and that would just piss him off more. No, he needed to get out of them. Guess he'd be trying meditating after all, since he didn't bring anything with him to the temple. General Plo had been insistent, said he wouldn't need his spare set of blacks.

The flowers and trees got quieter the more Rex walked. He was lost, and his annoyance was definitely no longer just annoyance. He was wet and he was very unhappy about it. He knew he should at least _try_ to control his anger, but he was down right miserable at this point. He wouldn't panic though. Good soldiers kept their heads, figured things out, and _always_ got to the rendezvous.

“Ah, Padawan.” The captain paused, turning to where he had heard the title come from. General Sinube was sitting in the gardens cross legged. “I could sense your anger from all the way across the gardens.” Rex frowned at that. He was _here_? This whole time? “Tell me, have you tried meditating?”

“Not yet, sir.”

“Ah, well, no time like the present.” The old goat smiled, “Come join me.” Rex's eye twitched at that, but good soldiers follow orders, so he approached the general and sat across from him. He crossed his legs and knew that he'd have a rash by the time he got back to the rooms and changed out of his wet clothes.

“Now, sit straight, hands like this.” Rex copied the position. “Now close your eyes, and focus on the force.” Rex closed his eyes and focused. His eyes snapped open.

“It's quiet.” He whispered, voice full of disbelief. No, it was _never_ quiet! Not ever! Even in battle, he always heard the humming of life coming from, well, _everything_.

“That is because your anger is clouding you from the force.” It... It was? “Now, focus, and visualize letting your anger go through the force. The force will show you what it wants.” Rex hesitated, but closed his eyes and focused. He pictured the waters of Kamino, that he was there. He tried to visualize Cody or Fives or Dogma or Jesse, but nobody showed. The whole place was empty, as he stood on a balcony of one of the cloning facilities.

In his hands was a bucket of ice and blood, his blaster was in there too, and his helmet was the actual bucket. He didn't understand why it was that, but General Sinube had said the force would show him what it wanted to, so he figured that's what was happening. He held his helmet over the balcony, and tipped it over. His blaster fell out first, falling to waters below. The blood and ice began pouring out after it. It reminded Rex of a small hill in a stream with the speed of it.

The more that left the helmet, the sound returned. He could hear the ocean waters below, smacking against the pillars of the cloning facility. He could hear the humming again, slowly becoming louder and louder. When his helmet was empty, Rex hesitated for a moment. Something was telling him to let it go, let it fall to the waters below, but the helmet was who he _was_. How could he let that go?

“ _It's okay, vod..._ ” Rex turned, finding Fives and Echo standing next to him, smiling.

“ _You'll still be you._ ” Echo said, “ _And we'll still be here, waiting for when you come back._ ”

“ _Just let go._ ” Fives said, “ _You're more than that, now._ ”

Rex felt the helmet slip through his fingers, as Fives and Echo faded out of existence.

He opened his eyes, and he felt... calm. He felt better than he had in _years_ , and that was really pathetic, considering he was technically only ten years old.

“Feel better?” General Sinube asked. Rex nodded, and as the general got up, that's when he saw it. The old goat's sleeves were wet.

“You- You dropped the water on me?” He asked, a bit hurt. “ _Why_?” General Sinube smiled as he walked past him.

“I knew you would need a little push in the right direction,” was the reply Rex got. He shook his head at that, stunned. “Come along, Padawan. We must get your beads.” Rex shook his head in disbelief, but got up and followed the old goat.

“Can I at least change first?” He asked.

“No time, we've already kept the council waiting long enough.” Rex rolled his eyes at that, a curse being bit back. The council chambers were less nerve wracking this time around. General Yoda had Rex kneel in front of Sinube, and there was some babbling nonsense about promises and training and what was best for both of them, before the old goat slipped the ear cuff the beads were attached to on to his ear. At that moment, Rex felt something. He felt different, and he didn't realize what it was until he was half way to his and General Sinube's rooms.

He felt free.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Titles still from Citizen/Soldier by 3 Doors Down.


	3. So many times you did not bring this on yourself,

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Master Sinube and Rex have a talk, and training begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're probably not gonna get so many updates in order in the future. I was sick the past few days so that's why you got 2 on memorial day and then I'm getting this one out because I don't work today. (B
> 
> **Warning:** Discussion of clone slavery ahead.

It was a startling realization, that he was free. He had always thought he _was_ free, in a sense. He knew he was made to serve the Republic, to help make up the GAR, but he didn't realize there was a difference from being a clone soldier and regular soldiers. Of course, he _knew_ they were treated like crap, that they _were_ different, that they were just clones, but he didn't realize that the non-clone soldiers had _chosen_ to fight and that they went to sleep at night freer than clones. He hadn't realized they were any different, save for how they were born.

He was starting to understand Slick's motives, and that didn't settle well with him. Slick had betrayed them, but... he had a _point_. The clones really _were_ slaves, and Rex suddenly remembered the defense General Skywalker had to _not_ have Rex be trained.

“ _I need_ _ **my**_ _captain!_ ” He had thought the emphasis had been on need, but what if it had been on the word 'my'? Did... Did Skywalker even know what he was saying? Did he know he was condoning what was essentially slavery?

Did _any_ of them know?

“Not even an hour and already you're troubled again. What's wrong, padawan?” General Sinube asked as they sat in the rooms. Rex shook his head, making some tea.

“It's nothing, sir.” It wasn't nothing, but he was just a clone. What did it matter what he thought?

“It doesn't seem like nothing.” Sinube replied as Rex brought the tea over to his- his _teacher_.

' _He is not my master. He is my teacher._ ' Rex reminded himself.

“It's just... Something General Skywalker said the other day.” He explained, “It... It didn't sit well with me.”

“Oh? What did he say?” Rex hesitated again. “Padawan, I cannot help you if I don't know what's bothering you. I'm here to guide you, teach you, and help you. I cannot do any of that without your trust.”

“Well... It's just...” The clone shook his head, staring at his lap. “We're _slaves_ , sir.” Sinube sighed at that.

“I was wondering when you would bring that up.” Rex snapped his head up, eyes wide.

“What?”

“It's not something I condone, the clone army. I respect and care about you and your brothers, it is something I admire, you all. Going back out again and again to fight, knowing you're not cared about by most life forms in the galaxy.” Ouch, that hurt. “But myself, and many others still, do not condone the use of the army that you and your brothers make up. There are senators, trying to stop to further creation of clones, to give you all the same rights as other beings in the galaxy. There are those who view you as creatures only a step above droids, but they're wrong. You're all important to the galaxy. I know the treatment of clones is poor, even by the Jedi who claim they care about you all. How you all are treated is wrong, but there isn't much we can do, as Jedi. We are to be impartial, to bring balance to the galaxy. However, as an investigator, I _can_ work with the senate and provide evidence of the poor treatment, of the blatant lack of basic rights, decency and respect given to you and your brothers.”

“That's why you're training me, isn't it?” Rex asked, feeling a bit choked up. “Because-” He cared. General Sinube, the damn old goat, _cared_. More than that, he viewed him as a _person_ , and yet was still _very aware_ of the fact that he and his siblings were slaves. More than that, he was helping those who were trying to help them. It made Rex wonder if other Jedi could handle this kind of conversation. The only one he could think of was General Plo. Maybe, _maybe_ , General Fisto, but only because General Fisto refused to command a clone battalion.

“Yes, it's why I offered to train you.” General Sinube explained, “You don't just need to learn how to use the force, or how to be a Jedi, but you also need to learn how to be a free person. You need to learn to work not just as a soldier and Jedi, but also as a civilian.” His mind immediately drifted to Cut Lawquane, and he hoped his brother was safe and happy with his family.

Rex made lunch for them shortly after, feeling a bit better about the situation. The old goat would be a good teacher for him, because really, he was right. He didn't know how to be a civilian. He didn't know how to function off a battlefield unless it involved drinking and sex. He might be able to learn under the general.

After lunch, General Sinube took him to the training center. He picked up a training lightsaber and watched as General Sinube's cane _turned into his light saber_. Holy balls, that was cool.

He was guided through the basic steps of the first form of wielding a lightsaber, and it was a strange feeling to know that he'd likely be using one himself one day. He never thought he'd use anything other than the blaster he had grown up learning to use like a normal child probably did with tying their shoes.

“You're doing well. You learn quickly.” General Sinube said, “Move into the fifth position.” Rex obeyed his teacher, holding the lightsaber in the right position, moving his feet the the proper places as he shifted his elbows. He frowned a bit as all of a sudden, a training drone activated. “Deflect the attacks with your weapon.”

He moved the light lightsaber quickly, moving to deflect the attacks and dodge as well. The sounds of blasters suddenly filled his ears, and he moved to reach for his own, before he remembered he didn't have it and he had to use the training sword. He dove out of the way of the drone's blaster fire and cussed in Mando'a. The training droid shut off.

“Tell me what went wrong.” The old goat requested.

“I was reaching for my blaster.” He replied.

“Why?”

“Instinct, sir.” Sinube shook his head at that.

“Wrong,” The old Jedi replied, “That response was ingrained in you from the moment you were born. We are going to change that. It will be hard, and tedious, but we will get you out of the habit. I don't want you to dodge, just deflect. Get up, go again.” Rex stood up and returned to the correct position. The drone started up again and Rex paid good attention that he would stay in place. He managed to deflect one of the bolts, and the second and third barely brushed his skin, but the fourth hit him in the shoulder. It hardly stung, which Rex was grateful for; they trained _children_ with this, so he'd hope they'd go easy on them, at least. He deflected the fifth, and then the sixth, hit by the seventh on the leg, and eighth on his hip, the ninth brushed his skin, and the tenth was deflected. He lost count shortly after then, focusing more on staying in place than reaction times. He needed to change the way he thought and how he reacted. He needed to defend, not attack.

It was a humbling experience, and he knew he had a lot to learn in terms of using the force and reacting to defend, rather than dodge. He had taken hits before, he had fought some of the worst life forms in the galaxy before, but nothing had made him realize just how useless he was without his blaster. He could hardly defend himself, how was he supposed to defend another person?

“You did well, Rex.” Sinube said, as the drone shut off again. “With the training that you have grown up with, it'll be hard to unlearn, but you need to focus more on deflecting than standing in one place. You'll get there.” Rex nodded, shifting his position to ease the pressure off his leg and hip. “Now I want you to go again. Focus on _deflection_ , not standing in place.” Rex nodded, and returned to the correct position. He could do this.

He had to.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Titles still coming from Citizen/Soldier by 3 Doors Down.
> 
> Comments are always nice. (B


	4. When that moment finally comes,

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rex gets a message during meditation, and then spars with someone he hadn't seen in far too long.

Rex was utterly exhausted by the time the exercises ended, and General Sinube gave him the afternoon off. Rex took the time to practice a bit more while the old goat was off doing personal business.

He hit the showers afterwards, and then found that the bed from last night had been replaced with a larger bed. He changed into the pyjamas he found in the dresser, wondering who had bought him clothes and how they knew his sizes. He then prepared and ate dinner in the rooms. He knew there was a mess hall, but he knew that there was a high chance of others staring, maybe some anti-clone sentiments being tossed around. He would rather be alone than deal with that, now that he had the choice to do so.

He ate something called oatmeal, something with the consistency akin to the bland slop that was served on back Kamino. After eating, he washed all the dishes that had been placed in the sink earlier that day, as well as last night. He began de-cluttering the rooms, with nothing else to do. Or, at least, he placed all the holocrons and datapads into organized piles. Once that was done, he bit his lip, at a loss of what to do. Scratching the back of his neck, he decided maybe he should try to meditate.

He settled into his room on the bed, crossing his legs like he was taught. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths.

Almost immediately he was back on the command deck of the Resolute, though the place was empty. He took a breath and walked forwards, heading off the deck and towards the barracks he used to share with the Torrent Company. As he approaches, he notices that the walk seems longer than it did the last time he walked it. It was a good four minutes before he realized that the door was getting further away from him, and not that he had forgotten how long the walk was. He froze on the spot, fear entering him.

Why would the force have him go through _this_? Why would it... Could he even...

He ran.

He ran for the door, fear and panic settling in his heart as he tried to reach his second home, full of his friends, his brothers. He needed to see them. He _needed_ to.

He lost track of how long he ran, but he collapsed on his knees when he could no longer breathe properly. He looked at the distance from him to the door, and felt his heart tighten at the sight of it being even further than when he began.

“Why? Why?! What's the purpose of this!?” He shouted.

“ _Attachments._ ” Rex jumped, falling as he tried to turn around. It was Tup.

“Tup-”

“ _Attachments are forbidden by the Jedi._ ” Tup told him. “ _Unhealthy ones, at least. You need to let us go._ ” No.

“I _can't_! You're my brother!”

“ _So you would do anything for me?_ ” Tup asked.

“What? Of _course_!”

“ _Then realize that the amount of clinging you have to me, to all of us, to the army... It's not healthy, Rex. You need to draw a line. You can't be so attached to us that it blinds you to what's important._ ”

“You _are_ important!” Rex screamed, feeling the tears falling. “You're _all_ important!” Tup smiled and nodded.

“ _Yeah, I know, but... We're not more important than the galaxy. That's the whole reason why we were made, remember?_ ” Rex remembered the lessons they grew up with, but he didn't like.

“I don't care!”

“ _You do care._ ” Tup reminded him. “ _You do, or else you wouldn't be here. It's okay to miss the rest of us. We miss you too. But you're on a path that very few of us will ever get. You're going to become something great. And when you do, we'll be here, ready to fight alongside you. Until then, you need to let us go._ ”

“ _Vod'ika..._ ” Rex moaned, but Tup knelt in front of him.

“ _The force works in mysterious ways, Vod. I never understood that, until now. Take care of Dogma, alright?_ ” Rex was hugged, and he tried to hug him back, he did, but when he moved, Tup was gone.

He was back in his room, sitting on the bed. He was still crying, and he hated himself. He had to give them up? That wasn't fair, they were his _family_. He couldn't just abandon them.

He dropped onto his back and rolled over, burying his face into his pillow. In the darkness and privacy, assured that nobody would hear or see him, he cried.

=0=0=0=

The next morning, he went through more exercises and began studying about the galaxy and the force. He never mentioned what he saw the other night while meditating, nor did General Sinube ask if anything was wrong, though Rex knew the old goat could tell.

He skipped lunch, merely reading through the archives he needed to learn. He saw a few other padawans and Jedi Knights running through, researching their own things. He reads until he starts getting a migraine, and then he decides to go through more exercises. Besides, reading about the force and its connection to every living thing will still be in the archives tomorrow.

“ _Nobody wants to spar with you!_ ” Rex heard someone shout as he entered the training room.

“I will!” He called, not really paying attention to who his would be opponent was. When he turned with his training 'saber, he froze, finding a stunned, yet pleased, brother standing there. He couldn't stop the grin. “ _Wolffe_?! When did you get here, vod?” He asked.

“Yesterday, di'kutla! Waxer, Dogma and I looked for you yesterday in the mess hall, but you weren't there. Poor pup was heartbroken.”

' _Take care of Dogma..._ ' Tup whispered in Rex's mind, and he finally understood what that meant.

“I'll check on him later.” He promised, “Right now, I'm pretty sure I agreed to a spar.” Wolffe's grin was the same as it was on the battlefield, and Rex was definitely thrilled. He had missed the older clone, even more so when he was taken from the field and became a padawan.

They both moved into the first positions of the first form, and then Wolffe struck out first. Rex ducked from the swing, before turning to hit Wolffe's side. It was blocked, and Rex knew it was coming. If General Plo had known Wolffe was sensitive, he likely had at least some minor training against a light saber before now.

They kept at it, flying at each other with all they had. Wolffe proved to be a far better combatant with a light saber than Rex, and he was definitely be bruised later on, more from the force on being smacked than the stings the saber kept giving him. As they kept fighting, a crowd of padawans of all ages, as well a youngling initiates, circled around them.

“Hey blondie! You're leaving several openings for him to kick your butt!” Someone called to them, laughing. Rex tried to ignore it, but the person got what they wanted; Rex got distracted, looking over at the kid. He froze when he felt the familiar feeling of Wolffe's weapon stopping _just_ above his head. Looking back up at Wolffe, he felt the blood rush from his face, seeing the training lightsaber _centimeters_ from his face.

“You... You really need to stop doing that to me.” He said. Wolffe grinned, pulling the weapon away. Immediately, there were muttered complaints from the observers as the crowd dispersed.

“And lose my source of entertainment?” The commander teased. Rex straightened up and pushed him.

“ _Shabuir!_ ” He complained. Wolffe laughed and pulled Rex into a headlock. Rex let out a laugh at that. Wolffe never pulled him into a **real** headlock, usually just did it to get Rex close enough to ruffle his hair, if he had any at least. After the past few days, it was definitely growing out though, and he could feel Wolffe's hand run through the short strands.

“C'mon, let's go get the pup and get dinner.” Wolffe suggested, letting Rex go. Rex nodded, still smiling as he straightened up. They put their training sabers away, and headed for Dogma's new residence within the Temple.

He was looking forwards to seeing the shiny again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> still unbeta'd. 8/
> 
> Also, I'm trying to get progressively longer with the chapters, work on my weak points and all, so, yeah. I'm trying to make it quality content. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


End file.
